If you’ve ever been to Monroe, Ohio and driven on I-75 then you’ve probably seen the 6-foot tall statue of Jesus off to the side; that is unless you’ve been there within the last month. In June that statue of Jesus was burned to the ground after a lightening strike.

The press seemed to have a heyday to see what Pastors would say when they heard that ‘Jesus got struck by lightening.’ Would their faith waiver? Would they see it as a sign from God?

I loved one Pastor’s response when he simply said, ‘the statue was nothing more than foam, wood and fiber glass,’ and he added that he was ‘glad the lightening hit Jesus and not the home for at-risk women next door.’ This was a simple response without any superstition or spiritualized assumptions.

I think too often we have a way of reading into things as if they are signs from God. Not too long ago I had someone tell me that God has spoken to her through a license plate. This woman claimed that the word on someone’s customized license plate was God’s word for her. I am not saying that God can’t speak to us through circumstances and things like license plates or statues getting struck by lighting, but in some cases the assumptions we come to contradict the truth and therefore it can’t be God speaking.

Titus tells us that “God never lies” and Jesus Said, “I am… the truth.” So if we try to hear God outside of the Word (the Bible) He has given us, and without Christ as the basis for our understanding, then we are going to end up in some theological wasteland where we make garbage into something sacred.

When you think God is speaking to you through events or circumstances, first ask yourself these questions:

1. Does this align with the truth found in the Bible?
2. Is the Gospel of Jesus Christ reflected or honored in this?
3. Am I trying to find God through other ways because I am avoiding prayer and Bible reading?
4. Is this just an emotional pacifier or is it a nugget of truth for my soul?

Spend some time in prayer asking God to confirm what you are hearing through the power of the Holy Spirit and in His Word. I pray for you often that you may hear God’s voice clearly.

Let’s meet together this weekend and open God’s Word as we start our new sermon series called “One Another.” We will be learning what it means to be the people God desires us to be. See you at 10 AM on Sunday.

You are loved,

Josh.

It’s time to start a revolution. We can’t just sit around anymore. We need to stop thinking of our relationship with God as some sort of Girl Scout Christianity. There are no “brownie points” to be won, no messages to be sold, and no feel-good gospel to be swallowed. We need to stop clinging to our comfortable convictions and move to a place of revolutionary revival for Christ.

Now I don’t want you to think that I am calling for an uprising for the sake of making a statement. But I do want to make it clear that we as a church can have a great impact on the world for Christ. All throughout Scripture you can see examples of people who knew what they stood for and were able to bring glory to God with their unwavering faith.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were three young committed guys. When the King called for them to bow down to a 90-foot statue of himself, they wouldn’t do it! The consequence was being burned to death, but even that did not scare them. They stood their ground… literally.

Or how about the girl named Hadassah, also known as Esther, who risked her life to go before the king and ask him to not kill her people. In turn, she was able to save an entire lineage… the very one that our Savior Jesus Christ was born from.

Or perhaps the Bible’s most well known bold person was David. A young kid who spent the majority of his time with sheep was willing to go against the greatest warrior when all the other soldiers were shy and shaking with fear.

We need to look at these biblical examples as a challenge for us.

When we start a riot in our own hearts and up-root all that doesn’t belong, we will be able to go into the world and say, “Pardon me while I revolt” and we will push back on darkness.

I wrote this in my journal some time ago – “I cannot be so naive as to think that I alone can change the world, but I am not too ignorant to believe that, one soul at a time, the message of Jesus Christ will revolutionize our culture;” my prayer is that this will be our rallying statement.

Let’s light our hearts on fire for Christ and let the world watch us burn!

Come gather with other passionate Christ followers this Sunday at 10 AM as we finish our series on Jonah. I will also be announcing the next series we will be starting next week, so be sure to come.

One last thing – if you have not written you letter to a soldier, you can still do that and bring it this Sunday. We will do our final collection and then send off the letters and DVDs next week.

Oh, and don’t forget to plan on staying after church this Sunday for a BBQ celebration for Marlene!

You are loved,

Josh.

I hope you had a great fourth of July weekend. I was able to enjoy some good food and fun with family, in spite of our rain. As I’ve gotten back into the daily grind this week, I’ve been thinking a lot about the value of rest.

Summer is usually a season where we get to kick back and enjoy some long weekends and a vacation here or there. I believe God desires for us to rest and enjoy life, even more than we allows ourselves to at times. We too often are like Jonah – instead of finding our peace in the sovereignty of God, we flee to find solace in our own plans and productivity. That reminds me of the passage in Isaiah 30:15-16 which says,

For thus said the Lord GOD… “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling, and you said, “No! We will flee upon horses”; therefore you shall flee away!

The Lord in essence is promising that through returning (or repentance) and rest we will find our salvation, and in quietness and trust we will find strength. Yet sadly, we often respond as Israel did and stubbornly say “No! We will flee upon horses” or in other words – No, God! I will not rest; I will keep going with my own plans and busy life rather than trusting in you.

Friend, I know that it is hard to rest in the Lord. Our days are busy. Our mornings are sleepy and our evenings are exhausted. Nonetheless, we must insist upon stillness before God. This can happen in your own quiet time on your couch, or it can be in the silent confines of your car (with the radio off). We can find a way to be still before the Lord even when the world around us is spinning like a merry-go-round.

Rest in the Lord is a matter of your heart being still before the Almighty. So what can you do today to just be still? How about a walk alone at lunch or after work? Or a few minutes with your Bible at the kitchen table while the kids are in bed or napping? Maybe just a few moments of silence and prayer before you fall asleep? Find time to rest in God today and you’ll long for it tomorrow.

This world is coming at us 100 miles an hour – though we can’t stop the world, we can still our hearts and find “The rest of God.”

Be Still. You are loved,

Josh.

The stores are bustling as everyone gets their groceries for the weekend. The fireworks stands are getting busier by the day. And for those of us still at our desks – we are counting the hours until the holiday weekend begins. Oh what fun summer is, especially when we all get ready to celebrate our freedom!

A pastor-friend of mine told me he was preaching on this verse this weekend: Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”

I started thinking more about this verse and began to think that it doesn’t quite make senses – what do you mean for “freedom” I am have been set free?

The truth locked within this passage is profound; Christ came to set us free from the “Law” – a faith built on required actions. But not only are we free – we are given total “Freedom,” meaning we don’t have to come under yet another set of rules, but are FREE in the Grace of Christ.

So as we near Independence Day, I have to ask you – do you feel as if you are totally “Free” in Christ? Have you accepted the forgiveness that is offered to you at the Cross and then lived with the empowerment of His Spirit in your life?

The paradox of our faith here is that we are truly free when we find ourselves fully abandon in Christ. Another way to say it is, we must find our dependence upon Christ in order to find our independence and freedom from sin and its consequences.

So this week, have fun celebrating the freedom we have as a country; but let the fireworks, BBQs and waving flags remind you to celebrate the freedom you ultimately have in Christ. And remember, that while this country is great… we are not home yet. Someday we will celebrate a day with Christ that no earthly firework show could compare.

Continue to strive for greater dependence upon Christ.

Happy 4th – you are loved,

Josh.

I’m pretty sure if you locked me in a room for the rest of my life I would never get bored. My mind goes about a-million-miles an hour, and I have a rare talent of visiting far-off dreams without ever leaving my seat. If my mind goes that crazy locked in a room, you can only imagine how restless my mind gets when the weather is nice outside. In these days of summer, I’m struggling to be disciplined.

A friend once said to me, “Discipline is delayed gratification.” He was right, if I will just discipline myself now, I will be able to more fully relish in the joys of later. This can be practically applied to work, studies, sports training or even more greatly – our walk with Christ.

I think that’s what Paul was getting at in 1 Corinthians 9:27, “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” When he speaks of disciplining his body and keeping it under control, he is saying that I pummel my body – making it my slave not allowing it to do whatever I feel like, but staying committed to the larger task at hand – glorifying God.

I’m sure that Paul used this term “disqualified” with the Greek games in mind. At the Greek games, a herald announced the rules of the contest, the names of the contestants, and the names and cities of the winners. He would also announce the names of any contestants who were disqualified. Paul was saying making it clear that he didn’t want his name to be (metaphorically) on the “disqualified list” – and I sure don’t either!

I once heard Henry Blackaby talk about the relationship that we have with God and its wearisome state at times. He said we must remember, “Love is the disciple.” He is right; we don’t push through to do our best so that we can be the best, we do it so we can work out our faith in love for our Lord! It is because of my love for God that I must be disciplined.

“And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments; … Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” 2 John 6, 8-9

Press on. We can make it. We’ll fight the summer plague of distraction and apathy. Remember, do your very best today for today is all you’re promised. Tomorrow will take care of itself – Matthew 6:34.

You are loved,

Josh